Location
Murambo village, Rutenderi cell, Gahenyi sector, Gakenke District, Northern Province of Rwanda
Community Description
Rutenderi Health Center is located 3 km (or 20-minute drive on a dirt road) from the main paved road that leads to Kigali. Although it is close to the main road it is one of the least developed health centers in the District of Gakenke (Northern Province, Rwanda).
The catchment population of the health center is 17,152 people. For the most part, these people are poor, mostly uneducated farmers who live off of their crops (potatoes, sugar cane, passion fruit, bananas, pineapples, manioc, corn and beans).
Rutenderi is small, has no electricity, and is the only health center in the district that has absolutely no source of running water.
Currently, none of the services have running water, and the staff must walk 45 minutes to carry water to the health center in jerry cans. Water is put into buckets, affixed with faucets, which are used by the staff and patients to wash their hands and materials.
The consequence is that the rate of parasites and diarrhea seen at the health center is high and contamination within the health center is a large problem.
At Rutenderi, the leading causes of consultation are intestinal parasites (830 cases in 2009) and diarrhea (796 cases in 2009). Contagious dermatological diseases are another leading cause of consultation in the health center (648 cases in 2009). These diseases are highly contagious, and patients and staff are at risk of becoming infected.
One of the struggles of the health center is to convince women to give birth in the health center rather than at their houses, with unqualified assistance and unsanitary conditions.
Project Description
This project is to provide water to the Rutenderi Health Center and provide sinks for all 5 of the services.
The health center will be connected to a water source that is located over 100 meters away.
The broken pipes leading to the well and water tank will be repaired.
Sinks will be installed in the following services: primary and curative consultation, prenatal consultation, laboratory, pharmacy, and maternity.
Project funds will be used to purchase fixtures, piping, and materials.
The health center will provide the remaining funds needed to complete the project.
Project Impact
The project benefits all 17,152 people in the catchment area.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Kitty Hall
Comments
By installing running water, the health center will be able to reduce the spread of disease among patients and staff. This will create an incentive for pregnant women to give birth there, and not at home. This in turn will reduce infant and maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the community.
Kitty previously completed the Coko Health Center Water Project – Rwanda, Gakenke District Health Centers Plumbing Training – Rwanda, and Rusoro Health Center Water Project – Rwanda.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Kitty of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.